Friday, December 7, 2012

Hummingbird Tote: This pretty little tote bag was designed for a Secret Santa project. The receiver of the gift likes Cloisonné, the colors blue and green, and hummingbirds. The sturdy little bag is made with fabric scraps in a variety of textures, appliqued with a satin stitch onto a blue and green checked base. It can be used as a reusable grocery bag or a purse.

The flowers are fussy cut from a bold print and appliqued to the bag.

Check out the hidden outside pocket! Great for keys or a cell phone. It also has a tab with a key chain ring to which has been attached a carabiner for keys.

The blue wings and tail of this bird are made from a gold edged trim that is left loose so it can overlap the pocket.

Messenger Bag with Bling: This fun bag can be used to carry school books or just about anything else! The young teen birthday girl was reported to "hate pink and like Bling!" (Unfortunately, due to poor quality of the photographs, the majority of the glittery details are not apparent).

Messenger bag

This mixed-media bag is comprised of an eclectic blend of textures and patterns appliqued with a variety of stitches and sparkly threads. Adjustable straps tie securely to D rings attached to the top of the bag, The front and back of the bag are distinctly different so the bag can reflect different outfits and moods.

Back

Please note that you can choose whatever theme you wish for your bag. The poorly PhotoShopped image below has a Wonder Woman theme including a "magic lasso handle" and machine embroidered Wonder Woman quote. "All Women can do WONDERS if put to the test." - Wonder Woman

Purchase: If you're interested in purchasing a custom tote or bag, please leave a message on this post -

your e-mail / contact info will not be published

20% of your purchase of a custom-designed tote or bag will be donated to BeTA

- a support organization for parents and caregivers of children who have experienced early trauma and have attachment issues. They offer scholarships to an amazing annual retreat and provide continual support to women by organizing regional meetings, networking, and education.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

This 17 year old girl has a curvy figure. She is busty, has small hips, and almost no behind, but a significant tummy.

During a reconnaissance trip to help her decide what kind of dress she like that flatters her curvy figure, she fell in love with a full-skirted micro mini dress covered with individually attached flowers. Flattering, but WAY too short

Dress she found in the store

Dress I chose (bow will be in the back)

For her we chose a dress with an empire waist that emphasizes her small ribs and is fuller over her waist and hips. It's the same silhouette as the dress she loved in the store (with a longer hemline of course!), but coordinates with the colors and style of the other dresses at her event.

The dress has a wide, navy band (accenting the slimmer area under her bust). The skirt is a cream tulle, full skirt (the same cream chiffon as her sister's dress) with a navy blue sheer chiffon overlay. The bodice is a cream strapless top with the navy blue chiffon ruched a little heavier than the skirt. The bust is framed by wide straps made in the same fabric as the sash - hiding her bra straps. She prefers lots of "bling" so the bodice and hem of the skirt have rhinestones.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

This 16 year old girl is 6ft tall and slender but busty and has hips - an elongated hourglass shape. She wanted a fun, modest dress that flattered her figure. Fitted dresses were unflattering because they weren't small enough in the ribs/ waist and emphasized her hips. The current style of full skirted micro minis did not look proportional with her long legs. Shoulder straps were required so she could wear a bra..For her we chose a pretty cream-colored dress with a handkerchief hem. It is very fitted in the ribs and waist area showing off this slender area, but loose in the hips. It was made in a sheer cream colored chiffon, with the body fully lined, but the handkerchiefs left sheer to give it a hint of the popular short lengths.Here is the sketch. The handkerchief hem is modified from a vintage pattern I brought home from Switzerland. The final version! She loved it and it was fun to twirl in, although maybe not in 6 inch heels!

Welcome to BrushStrokes

Life is like a canvas. It begins blank & every day is another brush stroke. Make your life a masterpiece.

About Mary Brush

Mary Brush's family and friends often refer to her as a "Renaissance Woman" and it's not too difficult to figure out why. She is passionate about a variety of things, including working with small businesses, sales and marketing campaigns, manuscript editing, copy writing, graphic and CAD design, web design, custom sewing, interior design, and therapeutic parenting. Her enthusiasm, talent and hard work ensure that she excels in all of them. Her struggle has often been deciding where to focus her attention.

BrushStrokes began in 1988 as a clothing design studio, specializing in custom clothing and design, and quickly expanding to include interior decorating, architectural CAD design and graphic design.

Today, Mary Brush lends her years of experience to the corporate world. BrushStrokes offerings focus on corporate consulting (including restructuring operations, HR, profit and loss, and sales and marketing - including marketing campaigns and web site design) and manuscript editing (business writing, ebooks, and fiction).